Hospital of St Thomas of Acre

The Hospital of St Thomas of Acre stands in the City of London, where a church was founded in 1227 in the parish of St Mary Colechurch. The Knights of Saint Thomas used it as their London headquarters from the 14th century. The order’s patron saint, Thomas Becket, was born in this parish. In 1512 the Worshipful Company of Mercers bought the site beside the church to build their hall. By 1514 the Mercers had become the order’s patrons. The order was dissolved in 1538 during the Protestant Reformation. The crown took the properties, but the Mercers later regained them. Notable figures buried here include John Alleyn and members of the Butler family. Joan Butler, Countess of Ormond, and Thomas Butler, 7th Earl of Ormond, rest in the Mercers’ Chapel. Their tombs remain part of the site’s history. Visitors find the quiet church of St Thomas Acre at British History Online. The building recalls the medieval order that once occupied the site. The Mercers’ Chapel still holds the tombs of the Ormond family. The surroundings include narrow lanes that preserve the City’s older character. The church’s modest presence contrasts with the grand halls built later by the Mercers.